Flightless Bird
by ThisBalladOfMine
Summary: Castiel Novak moved into the small town of Mollins hoping for a fresh start. He becomes quickly smitten with Sam Winchester, the overgrown co-owner of a local coffee shop. When they are both faced with dark ghosts of their pasts, they can do nothing but hold onto one another for dear life (and for sanity). Sastiel.


Disclaimers: I do not own Supernatural. Characters may be OOC.

I hope you enjoy! Not much happens in this chapter, but it sure was fun writing it :)

~ :) ~

Castiel could recite all the shops in his hometown in the order that they stood along the streets and could name all the residents (plus a couple of ancestors for the really chatty ones) surrounding his childhood home. He spent a good amount of his time as a child wishing he could get away from the bitter faces of his town. If he had to describe the people he left behind in his old town in three words- grumpy, close-minded prunes (technically that was four words, but Castiel wasn't a stickler for details…usually). As soon as he hit the age of twenty, he emptied out his bank account on a crappy old car, pocketed the rest of his cash and hit the road with his small knapsack of treasured books and a couple pieces of clothing.

He spent months travelling, eating sandwiches made from gas station bread and cheese and sleeping in his still old and crappy (but now beloved) car. He saw hundreds of little homes with picketed fences and big sunflowers out front. It filled him with an ache for his own home. And so he began searching for a corner of the world of his own, one that he could proudly call home.

It took him a while to find a place that made him happy, but he eventually did. It was a small home with a flowerbed out front and a small garden of tomatoes and cucumbers out back. He decorated it with photographs from his travels and odd furniture that he found at garage sales. He built his own bed and carved in little quotes and symbols that made sense to only him. He painted the walls hues of blue and brown and pale pink. He stayed inside for a whole month working on it. It was a home to be proud of.

If there was one constant in Castiel's life- it was coffee shops. He always found coffee shops to hold a certain allure. He preferred the quiet ones that remained empty for most of the day. It would provide him with a place to be alone and think (which he found himself to be doing a lot).

It took a couple of weeks after having moved into his new town for Castiel to find a coffee shop that fit his standards. The floors were a deep red wood and the walls were decorated with brown, abstract paintings of people. The tabletops were a deep green and the chairs were a deep brown. The place smelled of coffee beans and mellow piano music played from the small stereo in the corner. It was perfect. Castiel didn't buy anything the first day- he didn't even sit down. He looked around and left, making plans to return the next day with the new book he had bought from the book store near his home.

~ :) ~

When Castiel returned, he brought along a small shoulder bag which carried his book and a small notepad. There was no one else inside, other than a rather large man behind the counter. Castiel looked him over. He had long, shaggy dark hair that was pulled back into a short pony tail at the nape of his neck. He wore a black tee under his green apron and when he looked up, Castiel was startled by how beautiful his eyes were. They were the colour of clear, deep oceans. When the man smiled, Castiel surprised himself by smiling back. Dimples. He had always had a weakness for dimples.

"Hello. What can I do for you?" The man had a deep voice, Castiel noted.

"Some coffee, please."

The man smiled again, his eyes alight with amusement. "Yes, well, we have a lot of that. What kind?"

Mortified at how cheeks heated up under the man's stare, Castiel cleared his throat awkwardly and looked up towards the menu above the man's head. He read quickly and was immediately overwhelmed by the several different options. The man seemed to take notice. "I recommend the caramel latté," he offered.

Relieved, Castiel smiled and nodded. "I'll take that then. Thank you," he quickly glanced at the nametag on the man's apron. "Sam."

Sam grinned and quickly rang in Castiel's order. "Great. That'll be $3."

Castiel pulled out his change and handed Sam the required money, waiting for the taller man to print out the receipt.

"You can go sit down. I'll bring you the latté once it's done, along with a slice of our chocolate strawberry cake." Castiel made to protest, but Sam waved him off. "A free treat for a new customer. It's protocol." He grinned and waved Castiel away.

Smiling slightly at the kindness the man had shown, Castiel chose a small table by the large window, placing his bag against the wall. He pulled out his book and opened it to the first page, immediately losing himself within the world the author depicted. He stopped when he reached the fifth chapter, looking up to find his latté and the promised slice of cake already on the table. He turned and smiled slightly at Sam, who was leaning against the counter, obviously bored out of his mind. "Sam?" he called out tentatively. His smiled widened when green eyes met his. "Would you like to sit with me? It's awfully quiet." Sam grinned and nodded, quickly moving around the counter to take a spot across from Castiel.

"What are you reading?" Sam asked, eyeing the book in his hand. Castiel felt himself grow elated at the enthusiasm in the man's eyes. He obviously loved books just as much as him.

"The Troop. A supposed horror novel." He handed it to Sam so that he could read the back of the cover. As Sam examined the book- front cover, back cover and some of the first page- Castiel got up to grab another plastic spoon from the counter. "So that we can share the cake," he explained when he felt Sam's questioning stare on him. He accepted the book as Sam handed it back to him, placing it back into the bag. It was clear that he wouldn't be getting any more reading done.

"Is it scary so far?"

"As much as a Clifford book."

Sam laughed and Castiel smiled along with him. It was hard not to- especially when Sam was all bright eyed an deep dimpled. "So not even remotely then."

"I don't know. I found the books a bit frightening when I was a child." Castiel surprised himself- he didn't usually joke around with people he had just met. But something about Sam put him at ease. It was unusual- nice, but unusual.

Sam laughed again and nodded. "A big, red dog? Yeah, that can be scary." He reached over to spoon up some cake. "It's my favorite," he told Castiel.

The two finished the slice, bite after bite and Castiel allowed Sam a couple sips of his latté (also Sam's favorite). They spoke about books and about the pleasures of travelling (Sam had recently been on a long road trip with his older brother, Castiel learned). It was dark when Sam told Castiel that it was closing time. Castiel watched as Sam counted up the money (not very much), locked up the register and followed him out.

"I'll be here tomorrow," Sam said, glancing at Castiel as he locked up the doors to the coffee shop.

Castiel smiled and nodded. "I'll come by tomorrow then."

"I work in the afternoons. My brother, Dean, works mornings and sometimes afternoons with me on busy days." Sam gave the door one final pull to ensure that it was locked before turning and grinning at Castiel. "It was really nice talking to you, Cas."

Castiel nodded again, feeling a smile of his own tugging at his lips. It had been a very long time since he'd smiled this much. "Yes. I really enjoyed it." He glanced around and turned his eyes back to Sam's. "Which direction are you headed in?"

Sam gestured towards a large building at the end of the street. "I live in there."

Castiel nodded slowly, before smiling again. "I'll walk you home."

Sam looked down and Castiel was surprised (and also very happy) as the taller man's cheeks took on a pink hue. "Cas, I have something to admit to you."

"Yes?" Castiel waited patiently as Sam shuffled his feet.

"I'm bisexual." When Sam looked up again, he looked a tad bit scared and Castiel was tempted to reach out and pull him into a comforting hug. He furrowed his brow, trying to shake off the temptation. He usually detested human contact. What was it about Sam that made him want to be close to him? When Sam let out a sigh, he realized he had been silent for too long. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"No! You didn't frighten me," Castiel said quickly. "Not at all. In fact, I'm gay myself."

Sam's worried look faded and he grinned. "I'm also a tad bit attracted to you," he admitted, looking hopeful.

Castiel smiled at that. "I am as well, Sam."

There was a brief silence as Sam took in his words. His smile widened. "So maybe tomorrow could be considered a date?"

"Yes." Smiling, he reached a hand out and felt Sam's larger one envelope it in his own. "I'd like that."

~ :) ~

When Castiel returned the next day, most of the tables already had occupants. Sam stood behind the counter, speaking inaudibly with a smaller man whom Castiel guessed was Dean. He made his way over and reveled in the way Sam's face lit up when their eyes met. "Hello, Sam."

Sam grinned. "Hey, Cas. Great timing, I was just about to take my break." The amused look he got from the other man said different, but Castiel didn't comment.

"I guess you'll be taking off then?" The other man's voice was deeper than Sam's, but it was equally pleasant to listen to. He glanced at Castiel and smiled. "Won't you introduce us, Sammy?"

"Oh right!" Sam gestured to Dean. "This is my brother, Dean. Dean, this is Castiel."

"Nice to meet you, Dean." Castiel gave Dean a small smile. Dean smiled back and nodded slightly before turning back to Sam.

"You've got good taste, little brother."

Sam laughed as Castiel's cheeks heated up and smacked his brother on the arm. "Stop making my date uncomfortable." He looked around the small shop and frowned. "Are you sure that you'll be okay?"

"Dude, busiest hour's long gone. Now it's just stragglers and hipster teenagers. I can take it from here." Dean ushered Sam around the counter, but stopped him just as he was about to walk away. Castiel watched, amused, as Dean forced Sam to take off his apron. "Can't believe you were about to wear that on a date," he muttered.

Sam thanked his brother with a not very gentle pat on the back and turned to Castiel. He held out an arm, grinning. "Shall we?" Castiel nodded, taking Sam's hand in his and allowing himself to be lead out of the small coffee shop.

~ :) ~

Thank you for reading. I'm not sure where this is going and I'm 80% sure that updates will be slow, but I'll try! (And reviews will surely help in the area of updating quickly)


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